3:16:22

"[Re-reading Orwell's 1984], I was thinking about the effortless way in which we switched from being completely enraged about the unvaccinated to moving all of those emotions to the Russians. And about the successions of panics that we've had in the news--in the last 5 or 6 years especially--and what that's done to the national character."

Taibbi hits the nail on the head here. It's the style and uniformity of the reactions that is being programmed, molded, coordinated, and recycled--the content can be anything. That is the opposite of national character--or character of any kind. As I mentioned on my blog some months ago, everyone should have a refresher of Hitchcock's Torn Curtain. It really gets to the heart and terror of this in a very chilling and profound way, as does Orwell, of course, and Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, which I'm rereading now.

Taibbi was also in Russia when I was living there for a year with my parents. It was a magical time. What he's saying is true. Everything felt possible. My parents were young and beautiful and full of life and all their friends were fascinating, artists, writers, critics, poets, and musicians, who were fun, took care of me, and taught me things. His description made me cry. I don't know where we are anymore. I don't know who all these monsters are.

Now for a gift to blow your mind